Flying Equipment Co. of Chicago: G-1 Jackets

[bseal]

Educated guess= very expert analysis! (not mine). Kind of like Theory of Evolution or Relativity. All the evidence points to one conclusion. Star made some (if not all of) FEC jackets. Can be tested with the same results. If you guys need a detail by detail explanation I can do that.

Yes, please. That or space-time. Either is good. Thanks!

 

[YoungMedic]

Great thread and discussion, thank you!

 

[CBI]

thanks for the information.

 

[bseal]

I had to do a quick inflation check. Apparently $40 USD in 1964 would be worth $396.99 in 2023.

VTG 50s G1 Leather Jacket 55J14 Flying Equipment Co (~45-46R) Star Spotswear | eBay

" This USN jacket is a non-issue jacket based on the First G-1 model 55J14. The leather is smooth and supple. Zipper works smoothly. Fur lining on the collar. Zip codes started being used in 1963 so it appears to date from before then.

www.ebay.com

 

[Lord Flashheart]

I guess I worded this all wrong- in fact I was a bit wrong about the history of FEC- I put the cart before the horse. A Higher Authority, The Meister, JC himself has explained to me that Flying Equipment Company wasn't Star- rather Star Sportswear made jackets FOR Flying Equipment Company which was a company that sold all sorts of flight gear- definitely to the military and civilians.
….

As if to confirm that Star made jackets for FEC- check out this FEC A-2- again- all the details are EXACTLY like the Star A-2- pocket shape, collar shape, throat clip placement, skinny eps and arm seam (from the inset arm). So some of the FEC A-2s were definitely Stars and they had the same goofy contract number.
…

So Star definitely made jackets for FEC- the patterns of the FEC G-1 55J14 and the pattern of the above referenced A-2 show this unequivocably. You are right in pointing out that at this point I have no paperwork to prove that ALL FEC jackets were Stars .

…

I’ve got to politely question that “exactly” comparison of that FEC A-2 and a Star A-2. Burt, Jan and I have previously discussed the triangular stitching at the pocket corners which is a feature of the Star. Do you know whether the FEC had that detail?

That aside this is another fascinating little branch of the G-1 and civilian jackets story so thank you for setting it out.

 

[ZuZu]

I’ve got to politely question that “exactly” comparison of that FEC A-2 and a Star A-2. Burt, Jan and I have previously discussed the triangular stitching at the pocket corners which is a feature of the Star. Do you know whether the FEC had that detail?

That aside this is another fascinating little branch of the G-1 and civilian jackets story so thank you for setting it out.

There is no doubt that the FEC A-2 pictured was made by Star- collar shape, inset arms and pocket shape are definite. The X-box on the ep is a bit elongated but remember these are made 10 years after issue jackets. As far as the triangular stitching on pocket corner- some issue Stars had "normal" stitching. Compare these 2 example from John's CD- the top picture is a civilian Star from after the war and the bottom is a WW2 Star:

Civilian:

WW2:

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Thanks Jeff. I believe wartime Stars had that pocket triangle facing both inward and outward. Interesting to see the FEC A-2 had it.

 

[ZuZu]

Thanks Jeff. I believe wartime Stars had that pocket triangle facing both inward and outward. Interesting to see the FEC A-2 had it.

Actually the picture I posted is a civilian Star with a Star label. Again- as you point out- I don't have a picture of the FEC A-2's pocket. I was using that as an example of what it could've looked like. It's all very nebulous.

 

[ZuZu]

Thanks Jeff. I believe wartime Stars had that pocket triangle facing both inward and outward. Interesting to see the FEC A-2 had it.

Here's a USAAF Star with the exact same pocket flap stitching as the commercial Star:

Civilian Star label.

Civvy pocket same as above:

 

[bseal]

Starting to see it now. Thanks ZuZu !

 

[B-Man2]

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Starting to see it now. Thanks ZuZu !

Bseal ….. we gotta get you checked out….. you just ain’t right partner .. you got a short somewhere…..

 

[ZuZu]

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Starting to see it now. Thanks ZuZu !

That's what I'm sayin'!

 

[bseal]

Bseal ….. we gotta get you checked out….. you just ain’t right partner .. you got a short somewhere…..

Not a fan of Minkowski? How about Lorentz then? He’s really quite transformative.

 

[B-Man2]

Not a fan of Minkowski? How about Lorentz then? He’s really quite transformative.

Not a fan of Minkowski? How about Lorentz then? He’s really quite transformative.

Outstanding comeback !!
You bested me by a country mile !

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Whilst we've got this rabbit/black hole Jeff have you come across any Star originals with that (seeing as there's an outbreak of science) hypotenuse stitch descending in board rather than rising? ELC's A-2 Star is modelled on an original like that. It seems to be a much less common way of doing it?

This from ELC's website original detail

 

[ZuZu]

Whilst we've got this rabbit/black hole Jeff have you come across any Star originals with that (seeing as there's an outbreak of science) hypotenuse stitch descending in board rather than rising? ELC's A-2 Star is modelled on an original like that. It seems to be a much less common way of doing it?

This from ELC's website original detail


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Definitely there are both- the detail you show I think is more common.

 

[Erwin]

Very interesting post Mr. ZuZu, thank You!